Tag: Comelec

Ex- Comelec official fears delay in proclamation of winners

Published by Ellen on May 4, 2016

Five days before Election Day, former Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, who supervised the first automated elections in 2010 and is now consultant of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, said there are a still lot of loose ends that need to be tied to make Monday’s election orderly. He is very concerned with very little time left to put things in order.

He wrote Comelec a letter Monday. One of the issues he raised was the procedure adopted by Comelec on the transmission of election results.

Larrazabal wrote: ““In a discussion last night with COMELEC Spokesperson Dir. Jimenez during the show with Ms Tina Monzon-Palma, it was mentioned that there is a proposed protocol in addressing possible scenarios where there may be multiple complaints on discrepancy as what was shaded in the ballot, and what appears in the voter receipt. One suggestion was that there must be a threshold on the number of complaints before the BEIs may request for a replacement VCM (Vote Counting Machine). I think this should be explored further by the Commission En Banc.”

Larrazabal said the contingency measures laid down by Comelec would result in a situation where “ the City of Municipal board of canvassers cannot transmit the results of the canvassing results of their board, ‘until results from all main SD cards have been imported’”.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista. Photo by Daniel Abunales, VERA Files.

“Which means that the Provincial Board of Canvassers will not receive any Consolidated Results from that BOC. The result would mean that the PBOC or even NBOC will not be able to complete its canvassing, and will NOT be able to proclaim winners on the provincial level (which includes ALL Provincial positions & members of the House of Representatives). This also means that the PBOC will not be able to complete the canvassing for the position of President and Vice-President,” he further said.

The domino effect. Larrazabal said, “ would be that the National Board of Canvassers may not be able to complete the canvassing of votes for the 12 positions of Senator, and Party-list.”

“All told, the above requirement may result in the hijacking of the canvassing of votes, and the proclamation of winners, for the national positions, “Larrazabal gave a possible alarming scenario.

Gordon to Comelec officials: ‘If you cannot do the job, resign.’

Published by Ellen on March 14, 2016

It’s as simple as that.

Former Senator Richard Gordon who is running again for the Senate slammed officials of the Commission on Elections for painting a doomsday scenario if they were to comply with the Supreme Court decision to have the election machines on May 9 issue receipts of the voter’s vote.

He said postponing the May 9 elections is out of the question. “The Comelec is painting a doomsday scenario so that we will be afraid. It will not happen. What they should paint is they can do it. If they do not want to do it, stop giving excuses, leave your job and give it to somebody who can do the job,” said the principal author of the Election Computerization law and one of the petitioners who asked the High Court to compel the election body to follow the law.

In a vote of 14-0, the High Court last Tuesday ordered the Comelec to “enable the vote verification feature of the vote-counting machines which prints the voter’s choices…”

Is there something more in Lim’s ‘China election sabotage expose’?

Published by Ellen on September 23, 2015

Comelec Commissioiner Christian Robert Lim

I really hope that Election Commissioner Christian Robert Lim’s allegation that China is out to sabotage the 2016 elections is just a burst of irresponsibility that has been in abundance in this administration.

What is more worrisome is if the sinister scenario that Lim raised is a camouflage for an operation just like what the operators of Gloria Arroyo did in the 2004 elections to ensure her “winning” the presidency against Fernando Poe, Jr.

Lim was one of the lawyers of the 2010 Aquino-Roxas team and it is well known that Mar Roxas, the Liberal Party’s presidential candidates in the 2016 elections, pushed for his appointment in the Commission on Elections.

At the budget hearing for the Comelec last week at the House of Representatives, Lim revealed they “have received intelligence reports that there may be an attempt to sabotage the elections by China… I feel personally that the biggest threat to the 2016 elections is China.”

Bakit kaya hindi nababahala si Brillantes sa mga palpak ng NPO?

Published by Ellen on November 10, 2012

Nagrampa giving instructionsB — An NPO official gives intsructions to NPO employees how to shade sample ballots for testing prior to scheduled testing in violation of BAC rules and procedures that only the BAC chairman should initiate such action together with other members of the committee.

Nakakapagtaka, nakakaduda at nakakabahala ang hindi pagkabahala ng Commission on Elections sa mga palpak na nagyayari sa bidding ng pag-imprinta ng balota na gagamitin sa 2013 na eleksyun.

Inamin ni Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. na palpak ang mga balota na ginawa ng Holy Family Printing Corp, ang pinanalo ng National Printing Office sa pag-imprenta ng 55 milyon na balota para sa 2013 na eleksyun.

Dapat kasi sa testing , isang libo na sample ballots ang gamitin. Noong unang test, Septyembre 12, 2012, walo lang ang dala ng Holy Family. Di ba dapat noon pa lang disqualified na sila dahil ibig sabihin nun, nag-bid sila na hindi pala sila handa gumawa ng trabaho na gusto nila kunin.

Hindi ito basta-basta lang trabaho. Balota ito para sa national na eleksyun. Demokrasya ng bansa ang nakasalalay dito.

Ngunit okay lang sa NPO. Sinubukan nila ang walong sample ballot na dala ng Holy Family. Anim sa walo ay hindi nagkasya sa makita na nabili na ng Comelec- ang Precinct Count Optical Scan machines galing sa Smartmatic.

Paano ngayun yun?

Sobra talaga ang bait ng NPO sa Holy Family . Binigyan ng isang buwan para ayusin ang kanilang trabaho.

Nagkaroon ng pangalawang test noong Oktubre 11, 2012. “Isang libong balota ang ginamit at perfect ayun sa report sa amin,” sabi ni Brillantes.

The high cost of a Corona conviction

Published by Ellen on April 19, 2012

Malacañang says the decision not to re-appoint Gus Lagman as Comelec commissioner has nothing to do with the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona presided by Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile. They should tell that to the Marines.

Following is the open letter of Lagman:

To my friends,

Without a new appointment, I cease to be a Comelec commissioner.

It is common knowledge among senators, Malacanang officials, and some members of the Lower House, that Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Chairman of the Commission on Appointments, will reject the confirmation of my ad interim appointment as commissioner of the Commission on Elections. As such, Malacanang explained to me that they thought it best not to renew my appointment in order to save me from having to go through the ordeal of a confirmation hearing where I could be rejected. I truly appreciate their concern and, initially, I also thought that that would be best. However, after thinking about it the last few days, I am now convinced that I would much prefer to be given my day in court, i.e., go through the confirmation process despite the risk of a rejection.

Continue readingThe high cost of a Corona conviction

Bakit hindi pa nasampahan ng kaso si Abalos?

Published by Ellen on December 3, 2011

Bakit ba hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa na-isampa ang kasong electoral sabotage laban kay dating Commission on Election chairman Benjamin Abalos na inirekomenda ng joint panel ng Department of Justice at Comelec?

Ito rin ang tanong ni Sen.Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III noong Biyernes.

From Inquirer:
Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the case against Abalos and other co-respondents of Arroyo would be filed next week, after Comelec lawyers are able to untangle some “procedural problems.”

“There is some sort of complication, but it is just procedural. But we are definitely filing against Abalos,” he said.
Noong Nob. 18, yung araw ng Biyernes na minadali ng pamahalaang Aquino ang kaso na electoral sabotage kay Gloria Arroyo, sinabi ni Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez, na kasama si Abalos at si Capt. Peter Reyes , isang intelleigence agent sa Armed Forces of the Philippines,ngunit sa Lunes na isasampa ang kaso laban sa kanya.

Paano isulong ni Brillantes ang reporma sa Comelec?

Published by Ellen on September 10, 2011

Comelec commissioners integrity — COMELEC Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. hands over the COMELEC’s Integrity Pledge to Makati Business Club (MBC) Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. Also present in the photo are representatives of the MBC and the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP) and COMELEC Commissioners Lucenito Tagle, Christian Robert Lim and Augusto Lagman.

Ang isang malaking kasalanan ni Gloria Arroyo sa sambayanang Pilipino ay ang pagsira ng mga institusyon pangdemokrasya para lamang manatili siya sa kapangyarihan.

Sinira niya ang military nang ginamit niya ito para mandaya para sa kanya noong 2004 na eleksyun. Sinira niya ang institusyon ng hustisya sa pamamagitan ng paglagay ng mga taong kulang sa integridad basta lang susunod sa gusto niya.

Sinira niya ang Comelec sa paggamit niya para mandaya sa kanya.

Ang mandato ng Comelec ay ang siguraduhin na magkaroon ng maayos, malinis, at kapani-paniwala na eleksyun na magpapalabas ng kagustuhan ng taumbayan. Ang eleksyun ay isang mahalagang elemento ng demokrasya. Ang eleksyun ang nagbibigay buhay sa sinabi ni Abraham Lincoln, dating president ng Estados Unidos, na ang demokrasya ay “pamahalaan ng taumbayan, na pinapamahalaan ng taumbayan, para sa taumbayan.”

Comelec chief accused of unethical behavior

Published by Ellen on September 8, 2011

I did the following article for VERA Files. It’s also in the Manila Times, TV5’s Interaksyon, and Yahoo.

The displaced director of the Commission on Elections’ Law Department has accused Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes Jr. of unethical behavior for allegedly requesting him to help absolve two Comelec officials ordered suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman for approving the P690 million contract to purchase ballot secrecy folders for the 2010 elections.

Lawyer Ferdinand Rafanan, who served as head of the Comelec Law Department for three years until he was relieved on Aug. 15, said Brillantes had asked him pointblank to talk to the Ombudsman’s spokesman on how to clear Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) members Maria Lea Alarkon and Allen Abaya of charges of “simple neglect of duty, simple misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.”

The irony is, it was Rafanan who had investigated the transaction and concluded an overprice.

Strange movements at the Comelec

Published by Ellen on August 25, 2011

rafanan2 — Uncompromising stand makes his bosses uncomfortable

A number of recent movements at the Commission on Elections don’t make sense.

Update: Rafanan also removed from DOJ-COMELEC probe team. Brillantes says he is “uncontrollable”
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/08/26/11/rafanan-removed-poll-fraud-fact-finding-team

The person who has always been known to be uncompromising in matters of electoral crimes and graft and corruption has been dismissed from his department level position while those who were involved in graft and corruption continue to enjoy the trust and confidence of top officials.

Ferdinand Rafanan, director of the Comelec’s Law Department since June 2008, who investigated the overpriced P690-million ballot secrecy folder contract purchased for the May 2010 elections with OTC paper supply, is now on a floating status.

Very satisfied

Published by Ellen on July 29, 2010

Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, Tita de Villa, national chair of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, and Smartmatic people were all beaming with pride in last Friday’s presentation by Mahar Mangahas of the Social Weather Stations findings on the people’s evaluation of the May 2010 election.

Sponsored by the The Asia Foundation, it was an extensive poll, consisting of five separate surveys – four before the elections and one after – among voters and members of the Board of Election Inspectors.

The result was an overwhelming satisfaction (three out of four Filipinos) over the results of the first automated nationwide elections in the country.

The survey compared the satisfaction of voters and workers to the 2007 elections, which was not automated.